Latest KFF Health News Stories
Providers Get More Time To Meet Electronic Records Deadline
Doctors and certain other providers got a three-week extension to attest they can “meaningfully use” their digital records systems. Meanwhile, tests show a new electronic billing system for health services is ready to implement even as doctors and hospitals push for more time.
What Ails You? New Tool Sheds Light On Health Care Prices
The website, named Guroo, lets consumers search for prices for 70 medical services across 41 states and the District of Columbia to help inform their decisions on where to seek health care.
Mass. Gov. Forces 4 Resignations From Health Connector Board
Among the resignations was that of Jonathan Gruber, the MIT economist and Obama administration health law adviser who became notorious for making statements about “the stupidity of the American voter.”
Americans Worried Over Obamacare Seek Professional Tax Help
News outlets also offer more details about Americans who are filing their taxes and finding out that they will have to repay the federal government a portion of the subsidies that helped them afford coverage. And Republicans in West Virginia are backing a proposal that would make it a crime to enforce Obamacare.
Utah Gov.’s Medicaid Expansion Plan Loses Momentum
Though the plan got the nod of the state Senate, the Republican House Speaker said the GOP-controlled House will not consider it because it doesn’t have enough support. News outlets also offer the latest Medicaid expansion news from Nebraska and Oregon.
More Than 1 Million Americans Switched Health Plans During Enrollment Season
Federal officials said Wednesday that this development came as a surprise. The finding was announced as part of new enrollment data, including the latest tally — 8.84 million — of people who selected or were automatically enrolled in coverage as of Feb. 22.
White House Crafts Health Law Arguments To Appeal To Conservative Justices
When the Supreme Court hears arguments in King v. Burwell, the Obama administration lawyers will highlight states’ rights issues in their attempts to draw support from key justices. Meanwhile, news outlets continue to examine the impact that the court’s ruling could have on the law’s future and the insurance marketplace.
First Edition: February 26, 2015
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: Burwell Shifts Tone On Supreme Court Case; Need For New CMS Director
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
A selection of health policy stories from Pennsylvania, Texas, Delaware, Georgia, California, New Mexico and Iowa.
California Regulators Fault Kaiser Permanente For Mental Health Care Delays
Elsewhere, the New Mexico Senate approves a measure to require some state residents with severe mental health illnesses to receive court-ordered outpatient treatment, and an Iowa mental health hospital — tapped for closure by Gov. Terry Branstad — is under scrutiny after a patient tried to kill himself.
Newspaper’s HPV Vaccine ‘Exposé’ Scrutinized After Criticism
An investigation into the “dark side” of Gardasil led many in the medical community to pan The Toronto Star’s anecdotal findings as not supported by data. In the U.S., the CDC says deaths tied to opioid painkillers spiked in 2012.
Study: Electronic Health Records Lead To More Patient-Doctor Collaboration
Elsewhere, the Department of Defense nears a contractor pick to modernize its electronic health records system.
Rehab Hospitals Lobby To Keep Payments Away From ‘Doc Fix’ Cuts
As a Medicare payment fix deadline looms, CQ Healthbeat also looks at who stands to be affected — and it’s not just doctors.
FBI Closing In On Culprits Behind Massive Cyberattack On Anthem’s Database
Anthem officials disclosed more information about the theft of personal information for 60 million to 80 million people, including customers who were members of other Blue Cross Blue Shield plans.
Fight Over Medicaid Expansion Creating Stark North-South Divide
The highest rates of uninsurance are mostly in Southern states, where opposition is strong to the health law’s option to expand the health program for low-income residents. Meanwhile, Utah’s state Senate gives preliminary approval to a plan by the governor to expand Medicaid.
Half Of Obamacare Enrollees Must Pay Back Part Of Insurance Subsidies
Tax-preparer H&R Block says that 52 percent of Americans they are helping file their taxes owe an average of $530 in paying the government back for subsidies because their income changed during the course of the year. Elsewhere, the Department of Health and Human Services plans health law investigations this year, and exchange problems make news in Washington state and Minnesota.
Burwell: No Back-Up Plan If High Court Overturns Obamacare Tax Credits
In a letter to Congress Tuesday, the secretary of Health and Human Services says a court decision striking down the subsidies on the federal marketplace would do “massive damage,” and the administration would not have authority to fix the problems.
Stakes Are High In Supreme Court’s Review Of Health Law’s Subsidies
Currently, there’s no clear alternative if the court rules that the health law’s subsidies cannot be used on the federal marketplace, healthcare.gov. Such a decision could increase coverage costs for an estimated 6 million people.
IRS Issues Reprieve To Those Who Filed Taxes Before Faulty Forms Were Detected
The Internal Revenue Services won’t collect additional taxes from the estimated 50,000 people who filed their tax returns based on incorrect government statements — known as 1095-A forms — regarding their 2014 health coverage.
